CUMBERLAND — The town of Cumberland plans to acquire two century-old houses on the east side of town with the hopes of seeing them transformed.
April Fisher, Cumberland town manager, said the town has a tentative agreement to buy the structures at 11910 and 11916 E. Washington St. for $80,000 from Indiana Landmarks, a statewide historic preservation organization.
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Fisher said both homes are estimated to have been built in the early 1900s.
Before Indiana Landmarks got the properties, they were owned by a bank that never responded to offers, she said.
“The properties have been sitting empty for years and years,” she said. “…They’ve been a consistent eyesore in the community.”
Both are split up into multiple apartments, Fisher continued, adding they’re in bad shape and have drawn squatters.
The Cumberland Town Council will eventually determine a purpose for the properties, she said. That could entail the town rehabilitating the properties or issuing a request for proposals from others to purchase and rehabilitate them.
“We don’t want a situation where they’re returned to poorly developed apartments,” Fisher said, adding the town would like to see the properties become commercial establishments or well-maintained residences.
The houses are in a prominent location on U.S. 40 in Cumberland’s Old Town.
“We really feel like turning those properties around will give Old Town a nice face lift,” she said.
Christine Owens, Cumberland’s director of planning and development, said the properties feature traditional American foursquare architecture. Some of their original attributes endure, she continued, like crown molding and windows. Both are contributing structures in the town’s conservation district as well as a National Register of Historic Places district.
Owens said the back of 11916 has a garage converted from a stable. The property at 11910 formerly housed a doctor’s office.
The entire block was owned by the McConnell family as early as the late 1800s, Owens said. Joe McConnell used to have a market there.
“We’re really excited for the opportunity to really try to foster something good and make sure we keep another piece of our history,” she said.
The properties’ longstanding history isn’t the only reason they’re worth preserving, according to Owens.
“The structures themselves just have so much potential,” she said. “They need a lot of work, don’t get me wrong … Just a lot of opportunity to have a wonderful presence on the street that, once restored, would have a humongous impact on our Old Town and on East Washington Street as you go through town.”
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